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Best Value Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools

2023 Best Value Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

139 Colleges
$5,924 Avg Tuition & Fees*

Finding the Best Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate School for You

With 63,451 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022, vehicle maintenance & repair is the #6 most popular major in the United States.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which trade school program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Value Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 139 schools in the United States to see which basic certificate programs offered the best value experiences for vehicle repair students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 15% Best Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools

Our analysis found Fox Valley Technical College to be the best value school for vehicle maintenance & repair students who want to pursue a basic certificate in the United States. Located in the midsize suburb of Appleton, FVTC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at FVTC are $6,977 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, FVTC also is in the top 5% of our Best Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Trade Schools ranking.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend South Louisiana Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools list. South Louisiana Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize city of Lafayette.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Louisiana Community College are $4,205 a year.

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#3

Central Community College

Grand Island, NE

Out of the 139 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Grand Island, Central Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Community College are $4,710 per year.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Savannah Technical College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools list. Savannah Tech is a small public school located in the midsize city of Savannah.

Savannah Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $5,442 in tuition and fees each year.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Metropolitan Community College is a great value for vehicle maintenance & repair students working on their basic certificate. MCC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Omaha.

MCC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,815 in tuition and fees each year.

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Northland Community and Technical College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate vehicle maintenance & repair programs. Located in the remote town of Thief River Falls, Northland Community and Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

Northland Community and Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,244 in tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Northland Community and Technical College also is in the top 15% of our Best Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Trade Schools ranking.

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Minneapolis Community and Technical College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Minneapolis Community and Technical College are $6,098 per year.

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#8

South Plains College

Levelland, TX

South Plains College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for vehicle maintenance & repair students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. South Plains College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Levelland.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Plains College are $4,857 a year.

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Wiregrass Georgia Technical College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the suburb of Valdosta, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College is a public school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College are $5,562 per year.

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Oconee Fall Line Technical College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate vehicle maintenance & repair programs. OFTC is a small public school located in the rural area of Sandersville.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at OFTC are $5,472 per year.

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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the city of Daytona Beach, Embry-Riddle Worldwide is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Embry-Riddle Worldwide undergraduate students pay an average of $11,185 in tuition and fees each year.

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#12

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN

Hennepin Technical College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hennepin Technical College are $5,881 per year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Hennepin Technical College also did well on our Best Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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With a ranking of #13, West Georgia Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for vehicle maintenance & repair students working on their basic certificate. Located in the rural area of Waco, West Georgia Technical College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

West Georgia Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,522 in tuition and fees each year.

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Southern Crescent Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for vehicle maintenance & repair students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Griffin, Southern Crescent Technical College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southern Crescent Technical College are $5,526 a year.

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Georgia Northwestern Technical College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the city of Rome, Georgia Northwestern Technical College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Georgia Northwestern Technical College are $5,512 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Georgia Northwestern Technical College is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Trade Schools list.

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Chippewa Valley Technical College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools ranking. CVTC is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at CVTC are $6,793 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, CVTC also did well on our Best Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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Spokane Community College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Spokane, Spokane Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Spokane Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,278 in tuition and fees each year.

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#18

Western Technical College

La Crosse, WI

Western Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for vehicle maintenance & repair students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #18 on the list. Western Technical College is a small public school located in the city of La Crosse.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Western Technical College are $6,788 per year.

Western Technical College also claimed a spot on our Best Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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#19

Central Georgia Technical College

Warner Robins, GA

Central Georgia Technical College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the small city of Warner Robins, CGTC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CGTC are $5,482 per year.

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#20

Century College

White Bear Lake, MN

With a ranking of #20, Century College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for vehicle maintenance & repair students working on their basic certificate. Located in the large suburb of White Bear Lake, Century College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Century College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,105 in tuition and fees each year.

Century College also claimed a spot on our Best Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great value schools for Vehicle Maintenance & Repair students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools award.

Rank College Location
21 Central Lakes College - Brainerd Brainerd, MN
22 Gateway Technical College Kenosha, WI
23 Lone Star College System The Woodlands, TX
24 Clover Park Technical College Lakewood, WA
25 Delgado Community College New Orleans, LA
26 Western Iowa Tech Community College Sioux City, IA
27 Arkansas State University - Beebe Beebe, AR

Vehicle Maintenance & Repair by Region

View the Best Value Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Basic Certificate Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

One of 7 majors within the trade school area of study, vehicle maintenance & repair has other similar majors worth exploring.

Vehicle Repair Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Automobile/Automotive Mechanics Technology/Technician 33,827
Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician 8,686
Airframe Mechanics & Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician 7,143
Autobody/Collision & Repair Technology/Technician 4,725
Aircraft Powerplant Technology/Technician 2,739
Medium/Heavy Vehicle & Truck Technology/Technician 2,101
Motorcycle Maintenance & Repair Technology/Technician 1,140
Marine Maintenance/Fitter & Ship Repair Technology/Technician 823
Avionics Maintenance Technology/Technician 724
High Performance & Custom Engine Technician/Mechanic 489
General Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Technologies 472
Small Engine Mechanics & Repair Technology/Technician 213
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Technology/Technician 147
Engine Machinist 107
Other Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Technologies 97
Bicycle Mechanics & Repair Technology/Technician 11
Recreation Vehicle (RV) Service Technician 7

Related Major Annual Graduates
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration 21,891
Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance 8,446
Electronics Maintenance & Repair 8,127
Precision Systems Maintenance 2,185
Mechanic & Repair Tech (Other) 1,184

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Airman 1st Class Nigel Sandridge.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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